Yoon Suk Yeol facts for kids

Quick facts for kids His Excellency Yoon Suk Yeol
윤석열
Official portrait, 2022
13th President of South Korea
Suspended
Assumed office 10 May 2022
Prime Minister	Choo Kyung-ho (acting) Han Duck-soo
Preceded by	Moon Jae-in
Prosecutor General of South Korea
In office 25 July 2019 – 4 March 2021
President	Moon Jae-in
Preceded by	Mun Mu-il [ko]
Succeeded by	Kim Oh-soo
Personal details
Born	(1960-12-18) 18 December 1960 (age 64) Seoul, South Korea
Political party	People Power (since 2021)
Other political affiliations	Independent (before 2021)
Spouse	Kim Keon-hee ​ (m. 2012)​
Parent	Yoon Ki-jung (father)
Residence	Presidential residence
Education	Seoul National University (LLB, LLM)
Profession	Lawyer
Signature
Korean name
Hangul	윤석열
Hanja	尹錫悅
Revised Romanization	Yun Seokyeol
McCune–Reischauer	Yun Sŏgyŏl

Yoon Suk Yeol (Hangul: 윤석열; born 18 December 1960) is a South Korean politician and attorney who has served as the 13th president of South Korea from 2022, but has been suspended since 2024.

In the April 2024 parliamentary elections, Yoon's party suffered an electoral defeat, which weakened his political power. On 3 December 2024, Yoon declared martial law in South Korea, the first time it has been declared since the military dictatorship of Chun Doo-hwan in 1980. He justified the action by accusing members of the National Assembly of being pro-North Korea; however, Yoon lifted it after the National Assembly passed an emergency motion nullifying the declaration several hours after Yoon's speech. Amid widespread criticism over the declaration, an impeachment motion was introduced against Yoon on 4 December in the National Assembly, though it fell short of the 200 needed to pass. Yoon was successfully impeached in a second vote on 14 December 2024, with 204 voting in favor.

Early life and education

Yoon in 1976 at age 16

Yoon was born in Bomun-dong, Seongbuk District, Seoul, in 1960 and raised in Yeonhui-dong, Seodaemun District. His father, Yoon Ki-jung, was born in Nonsan and was a professor emeritus of economics at Yonsei University and a full member of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Korea. His mother, Choi Seong-ja, was born in Gangneung and was a lecturer at Ewha Womans University before leaving the position after getting married.

Yoon attended Daegwang Elementary School and Joongrang Middle School, transferring to Choongam Middle School after finishing eighth grade. After graduating from Choongam High School, he studied law at Seoul National University. He is a colleague of Moon Kang-bae, a lawyer who described Yoon as an "extrovert and faithful" person. Shortly after the Gwangju Uprising, Yoon and his colleagues held a mock trial, where he acted as a prosecutor, demanding the death penalty for Chun Doo-hwan, the president of the republic. Fearing imprisonment for his role in the mock trial, Yoon fled to Gangwon Province.

Yoon was exempted in 1982 from national service due to anisometropia. Yoon later added that he was unable to obtain a driving licence because of the condition.

Yoon passed the first part of the bar exam in Year 4 of university but failed the second. He kept failing for the next nine years. He finally passed the bar in 1991, in the same graduating class as Democratic Party assemblyman and minister of justice Park Beom-kye.

Prosecutorial career

Early career

Yoon started his career at Daegu Public Prosecutor's Office in 1994. He headed the Special Branch and Central Investigation Department, both of which investigate corruption-related cases. In 1999, he arrested Assistant Commissioner Park Hui-won, who was corrupt despite strong objections from bureaucrats in the Kim Dae-jung cabinet.

In January 2002, Yoon worked briefly as a lawyer at Bae, Kim & Lee but left as he felt that he was not suited to the position. Upon his return as a prosecutor, he prosecuted such pro-Roh Moo-hyun figures as Ahn Hee-jung and Kang Keum-won. In 2006, he apprehended Chung Mong-koo for his complicity in a slush fund case at Hyundai Motor Company. In 2008, he worked for the independent counsel team resolving the BBK incident related to President Lee Myung-bak.

In 2013, Yoon led a special investigation team that looked into the National Intelligence Service (NIS)'s involvement in the 2012 NIS public opinion manipulation scandal. Yoon sought the prosecution of the former head of the NIS, Won Sei-hoon for violating the Public Official Election Act. He accused Justice Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn of influencing his investigation. As a result, he was demoted from the Seoul prosecutors' office to the Daegu and Daejeon High Prosecutors' Office.

Yoon later became head of investigations in the special prosecutor team of Park Young-soo, which investigated allegations pertaining to the 2016 Choi Soon-sil scandal involving Choi, Samsung vice-chairman Lee Jae-yong and then-president Park Geun-hye, which led to the impeachment of the president in December 2016.

On 19 May 2017, the newly elected president Moon Jae-in appointed Yoon as chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. The prosecution indicted two former presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye, three former NIS chiefs, former chief justice Yang Sung-tae and more than 100 other former officials and business executives under his tenure. Yoon also led an investigation into accounting fraud at Samsung.

Prosecutor general

Yoon as Prosecutor General, in 2019.

On 17 June 2019, Yoon was nominated as prosecutor general, replacing Moon Moo-il.

On 24 November 2020, Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae suspended Yoon from his position, citing alleged ethical violations, abuse of power, and interference into investigations of his associates and family members. Yoon filed an injunction against the minister's suspension order, which was approved by the Seoul Administrative Court on 1 December, temporarily halting the suspension. On 16 December, the Ministry of Justice then imposed a two-month suspension on Yoon, accepting four of six major charges for disciplinary action. The decision was subsequently approved by President Moon. However, on 24 December, following an injunction filed at the Seoul Administrative Court, the suspension was overturned as the court accepted Yoon's claim that the process to suspend him was unfair.

2022 presidential election

Yoon had been considered a potential presidential candidate for the 2022 presidential election, appearing as a significant candidate in general election opinion polls since at least January 2020. In a January 2021 poll including all possible presidential candidates, Yoon led as the most favored with 30.4 percent of the vote, more than the individual supports for the ruling Democratic Party frontrunners Lee Jae-myung and Lee Nak-yon.

On 5 November 2021, Yoon officially won the nomination of the People Power Party for the 2022 presidential election. The win came after Yoon fought off a surge in support for rival candidate Hong Joon-pyo in the latter weeks of the primary. The nomination resulted from a four-day period of voting by party members and the general public. Yoon Suk Yeol won 47.85% of the votes, a total of 347,963 votes, and of the remaining candidates Hong Joon-pyo won 41.50% of the votes, Yoo Seong-min won 7.47% of the votes, and Won Hee-ryong won 3.17% of the votes.

Yoon narrowly won the 2022 presidential election that took place on 9 March 2022. Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung conceded defeat in the early hours of the following day. Yoon won 48.56% of the votes, while Lee Jae-Myung won 47.83% of the vote. Yoon's presidential election victory was by the closest margin in South Korean history.

Presidency (2022–2024)

Relocation of presidential office

Yoon takes the presidential oath of office outside the National Assembly, 10 May 2022

On 20 March 2022, he announced that he would establish his presidential office in the Ministry of National Defense building in Yongsan District, Seoul, instead of the Blue House, which was open to the public as a park on 10 May 2022. He would take office that day. This marked the end of the Blue House as the official presidential office and residence after 74 years.

Domestic policy

Economic policy

In 2023, Yoon attempted to raise South Korea's maximum weekly working hours from 52 to 69. However, widespread backlash, especially from the youth, led him to order government agencies to reconsider the plan.

2022 police bureau proposal

In late July 2022, Yoon proposed the creation of a "police bureau", in order to ensure greater government oversight of the police force. In response, several police officers protested, claiming the measure was a dictatorial measure to compromise the political neutrality of the police.

In response to the protests, Lee Sang-min, Yoon's Interior Minister, compared them to the 1979 Coup d'état of December Twelfth, though he later walked back the remarks. Yoon himself also criticised the protests, saying, "Like many, I am also deeply concerned about the collective protest of the police chiefs," and calling it a "serious breach" of police discipline.

Following the protests, the presidential office threatened to punish police officers. Additional remarks by Yoon Hee-keun, President Yoon's choice as Commissioner General of the National Police Agency, suggesting that police should focus on wages rather than the establishment of a police bureau, further inflamed tensions.

Healthcare reform

On February 6, 2024, President Yoon announced that the enrollment quota for medical students would be increased from 3,058 to 5,058 students per academic year from 2025 onward. The quota was last fixed in 2006. The announcement was met with opposition from the medical community, with Korea Medical Association and Korea Intern Resident Association leading a strike by intern and resident doctors since February 20, 2024. They argued that the planned increase would not resolve the issues of inadequate manpower in rural areas but would increase the inequality of medical care between rural and urban areas.

2024 martial law

On 3 December 2024, Yoon declared martial law and vowed to "rebuild a democratic and free Korea" after accusing other South Korean politicians of being "communist". The decree was soon declared invalid by the National Assembly in a unanimous vote of 190–0; however, the military command stated that it would remain in place until the president lifted it. Hours after the National Assembly voted to rescind martial law, Yoon complied and lifted the declaration after his cabinet convened.

On 7 December, Yoon issued an apology in a televised address following widespread criticism over his declaration of martial law. He expressed regret for the decision and assured the public that such actions would not be repeated. The incident has led to political turmoil, with opposition leaders and some ruling party members calling for his resignation.

On 9 December 2024, the Ministry of Justice issued an overseas travel ban against Yoon following an investigation into allegations of rebellion linked to his brief imposition of martial law. A senior officer from the National Police Agency stated that Yoon could have faced detention if specific conditions were met. Although sitting South Korean presidents are generally immune from prosecution while in office, this immunity does not extend to accusations of rebellion or treason, leaving Yoon vulnerable to legal action over these serious charges.

On the morning of 4 December 2024, following the end of martial law, a large number of Yoon's staff immediately resigned, including his Chief of Staff, Jeong Jin-seok, his Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun, and many other presidential secretaries. Additional staff also offered to resign. On 8 December 2024, PPP leader Han Dong-hoon stated that Yoon promised to resign. He was impeached on 14 December 2024, with 204 voting in favor.

Political positions

Yoon Suk Yeol (left) with PPP party leader Lee Jun-seok (right)

Yoon identifies himself as "conservative". His critical attitude toward feminism, nationalist nature, and hostile attitude toward the opposition and the liberal media, have led the media and experts to call him and his policies "K-Trumpism" (한국판 트럼프 or K-트럼프) and "far-right" (극우), allegations denied by him and his supporters.

Economics

Yoon opposes economic interventionism by the government and is generally regarded as pro-business, and as a fiscal conservative. He has cited economist Milton Friedman and Friedman's 1980 book Free to Choose: A Personal Statement as a major influence on his belief in economic liberalism. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Yoon will attempt to reduce dependence on China and promote supply chain resilience.

Gender equality policy

President Yoon entered office with a pledge to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. Political conflict related to issues of gender was intense in South Korea in 2022. He announced that the new government would not address gender as a collective issue, but rather focus on and respond to specific individual issues.

As of May 2022, there were only three women among the State Councilors of the Yoon Suk Yeol government and only two women among the vice-ministerial level officials. This was criticised as a lack of women's representation in the government.

Military

Yoon has expressed active support for the possibility of South Korea having indigenous nuclear weapons.

On 22 September 2021, Yoon stated that he will ask that the United States redeploy tactical nuclear weapons in South Korea if there is a threat from North Korea. Nuclear weapons have not been deployed by the US in South Korea since the early 1990s, after an agreement with Russia and in an effort to ease tensions between North and South Korea. Speaking for the United States, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Japan and Korea Mark Lambert rejected Yoon's call for the re-nuclearization of South Korea and said the proposal was against US policy.

On 12 November 2021, Yoon indicated that he would be open to more US THAAD missile deployments in South Korea.

Electoral history

Personal life

President Yoon has been married to Kim Keon-hee since 2012. His wife has stated that she prefers the term first spouse instead of the first lady.

Kim is the president of Covana Contents, a company that focuses on art exhibitions. Kim has faced an investigation that alleged she had taken 'kickbacks' for hosting art exhibitions, in addition to reports that circulated in the South Korean media that she inflated her resume with connections to New York University Stern School of Business. She responded by offering a public apology.

Yoon is the fourth South Korean president who is a Catholic, after Moon Jae-in, Roh Moo-hyun (a lapsed Catholic), Kim Dae-jung and Roh Tae-woo. He was baptized with the Christian name Ambrose.

Honours

•  Poland: Knight of the Order of the White Eagle (13 July 2023)
•  Italy: Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (7 October 2023)
• Profile in Courage Award (29 October 2023)
•  United Kingdom: Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (21 November 2023)
•  Netherlands: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion (12 December 2023)

See also

In Spanish: Yoon Suk-yeol para niños

• Politics of South Korea
• 2022 South Korean presidential election
• Cabinet of Yoon Suk Yeol